You state that a dog should not be left alone for long periods of time yet I have had no problems with my Border Collie.

He is 6 months old, never chewed anything he's not supposed to as I have always taken things he shouldn't chew and replaced it with something he can. That work brilliantly. I also rotate his toys every two days to keep him interested. He has a Kong with a bit of peanut butter, biscuits and other little goodies which i give him occassionally as a treat.

As far as commitment goes, I understand that they are bred to be out all day, rounding up livestock and trying to eat into their endless energy so to compensate for the fact i don't own a farm and have to earn a living he receives the following:

Mon - Fri: Moorland walk from 05:30 - 07:00 including runs, ball throwing and lead training. From 07:15 - 07:45 - Obedience training in the garden. Rubs and hugs then breakfast.
In the evening during the week we are out from 18:15 - when we are hungry. This could be woodland, moorland, a mixture of both and a village environment thrown in for good measure. I'll go rollerblading, cycling or running to mix up the tempo of the session too. He then gets another training session and his tea before heading to his basket for bed.

Sat - Sun: Out at 07:00 and we return when we get hungry. This could be a full day (food taken with me), half day or a few hours. If we aren't out all day then he will get a walk later in the day.

On average he gets 3.5-4 hours of excercise, 30mins of training and the rest is play time.

I fit everything else I do i.e. shopping, time with friends etc around the time table I have for Dillon and my timetable with Dillon is not altered to keep him in a routine so as not to cause too much disruption.

My neighbour works funny shifts nad has confirmed he hears no barking form Dillon during the day when I am not there so I can only asume he's sleeping or chewing one of his toys.

I am int he middle of repairing the outhouse rook so he can be in the garden during summer which I think will do him some good rather than being indoors but other than that he has no behavioural problems around the house but he has a bit of anxiety in the car.

I see no problem with owning a dog and working full time as long as your spare time is committed to needs and requirements of your dog.

I agree about the rescue dog's,their are plenty to choose from.

If you have a breed in mind then contact your local breed clubs and ask their advise and see if they have anything suitable.

Good luck

Mel

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